Most issues addressed, but DoP needs to iron out the creases!

Jaipur: After the comprehensive and radical changes in administration, it can be expected that the administration will now run smoothly and at full speed. From the Secretariat to the districts, the bureaucracy has now become fully charged under the new government. But despite this, in many cases, the work of DOP remains incomplete.

In the Mines Department, the posts of both the Director and Additional Director have remained vacant. Through the transfer list dated September 5, Bhagavati Prasad Kalal was shifted from the post of Director and posted in RSMM, but a new Director was not appointed. Surprisingly, this vacant position was not filled in the second IAS transfer list dated September 22. Similarly, the post of Additional Director, where RAS officers are appointed, is also vacant for two months, and although two transfer lists have been released, no appointment has been made on this post.

It is noteworthy that the Mines Department is the State Government’s premier revenue collection department and all the decisions are taken at the level of Director sitting in Udaipur. In such a situation, work has come to a standstill for 20 days, and seated in Jaipur, Principal Secretary T. Ravikant will face difficulties in handling the department’s affairs since the HoD is not there.

Panchayati Raj has neither ACS nor Principal Secretary or a Secretary. Although the reins of this department were taken from ACS Abhay Kumar via the September 5 transfer list, it hasn’t been handed to anyone. DoP only handed the additional charge of the post to Jogaram and washed its hands off the department. Administrative experts believe this move to be impractical and inappropriate. But perhaps a more serious point is that DoP did not pay any attention to this issue in the September 22 transfer list either.

OTS (HCM-RIPA) is Rajasthan’s premier training institute which held a great reputation across the nation at one point in time and many experienced and senior officials have served as its DG. But in recent years, governments have not been giving the institution its due importance. Instead of a full-time DG, the work here is being conducted through an additional charge of this important position. At present, ACS Rural Development Sreya Guha has the additional charge of DG - OTS. In the past week, OTS has been recognised by the union government as being a good training institute. Still, there is an urgent need for a full-time DG as only then will it be able to retain its original prestige.

More than half a dozen posts of RAS are vacant in the Excise department. Despite two jumbo transfer lists, the DoP did not pay attention to this issue and the new Commissioner. Nakate Shiv Prasad Madan will face difficulty in achieving the revenue target due to this.

Some of the abovementioned deficiencies and flaws remain in the new administrative picture of the new government. It is difficult to say when these will be corrected and improved because administrative experts believe that there is little possibility of further changes before the by-elections.